Concrete built to stay put at home and at work in Imperial, CA

It depends mostly on the size, how much old concrete has to come out, what the ground underneath needs and the finish you choose. A plain broom finish costs less than stamped or colored work, and bad ground costs more to fix before we pour. I walk the job and put your price in writing, free.

Usually the cheap one skimps on the base, the part nobody sees once the slab is down. A base raked level over loose dirt settles with the dirt, while one dug out and packed holds the slab up. If the budget's tight, I'd keep the money in the base and go plainer on the finish, because you can't fix the ground later without tearing the slab out.

You can usually walk on new concrete well before you can drive on it, because it needs time curing, the slow hardening that gives it strength, before it carries a car. We'll give you the wait for your slab, and keep in mind that permits and the weather decide when we can pour in the first place.

Yes, the state licensing board requires a license when a job needs a building permit, uses any additional workers or costs $1,000 or more in labor and materials combined. Splitting a bigger job into smaller contracts doesn't get around it, since the board counts it as a whole. We're licensed and insured.

It depends on the job, so we check with the city's Building and Safety Division before we start and help you through the paperwork. The division issues permits for building, altering or repairing structures, reviews plans and inspects job sites. Starting permit work before the permit is issued doubles the permit fees, so checking first is the cheaper way.

Yes, our promise is 'Your satisfaction, guaranteed.' The way we back it up is the work before the pour, because a slab on a packed base, with the drainage figured out and the joints cut on time, gives you a lot less to be unhappy about.

A well-built slab can still crack a little, but with a packed base and control joints cut on time, the cracks usually land in the joints instead of across the middle. Most old slabs that crack and sink were poured on dirt raked level, or had joints cut late or skipped. We also slope new slabs away from the house so water doesn't sit against it.

Yes, the city requires an encroachment permit, its permission to work on public land, for any work in the city right of way. That can include work along the street end of a driveway or walk, so we check that before we plan the job.